


Timepass

by tearrful



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Gemsonas - Freeform, How Do I Tag, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, i be......... an author, i have no idea how to use ao3 and it shows, um. no canon characters so tags are gonna be so sparse.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-12 01:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18435986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tearrful/pseuds/tearrful
Summary: A fanfic focusing on original gemsonas and no canon characters (which may change in the future). Takes place vaguely somewhere in the original timeline, before Change Your Mind.After being trapped inside of a bubble for over 5,000 years, Dioptase suddenly finds themself free and in the ruins of their old ship. Without a crew or much recollection of what happened, they set out to find the truth - though the locals seem determined to make the task as difficult as possible.





	1. 0 - Prologue

     The lights of the ship flickered on and off, on and off, on and off. If this wasn't the first warning of something bad, there was no telling what would be. The red color cast in every room they had passed through meant the engine must have been shot. Sirens wailed, crying out at damage done by some of the rogue gems on the ground. Dioptase felt sickish relief that they weren’t in their designated spot in the engine room. They would have been poofed, if not instantly shattered.

     The flight of the cruiser was cut off with a _crash!_ to the ground, where trees crunched and metal screamed and the wings folded in on themselves. _Like this planet's aerial organics_ , Dioptase couldn't help but think as they ran through hallways after hallways and windows after windows. Emerald's grip was tight on their arm. Enough to poof, maybe, if her gauntlets were on. They were going back to the engine room. Was there even a point?

     Their thoughts became even more scattered when Emerald flung them into the door. Distantly, someone shouted.

     "Open it!" It was Emerald’s commanding tone. Fear shot through their entire being. De-summoning their glove, they shook as they pressed their hand on the sensor pad. They didn’t bother to try and hide their wince when they were shoved inside and exposed to the whole room.

     The engine stood no chance. No chance whatsoever. Lubrication was leaking and the floor was flooded with it. Pipes were broken, plugs were disconnected, and... The engine still had power, causing the core to wildly zap inside of its metal cocoon. Shrapnel embedded itself wherever it could, and anything not stuck left deep, deep gouges in walls and equipment alike. There was a clean hole just missing the heart of the room that ripped through the floor and up into the levels above.

     The door shut with a hiss, and Emerald almost blocked it out when she braced herself against it. Dioptase's face suddenly flushed with anger.

     "What about the others?!"

     "They'll be fine," Emerald snapped back, focused more on pressing against the door. There was thumping against it.

     Helplessly, they paused, hands balling into fists. "We can't just - just leave them, Emerald!"

     "I said they'll be fine!" Her focus faltered, and she was forced forward by a particularly hard impact. Emerald slammed herself back into the door with a sneer. Dioptase stepped closer.

     "That's them! If you won't help, then I-"

     "NO!"

     Her outburst shocked Dioptase, and they froze in place. A blue blush crept along their cheeks. They didn't think as they tried to shove past Emerald.

     "Stop! This INSTANT!"

     Equals. That's... Why aren't they equals right now if that's what Emerald...?

     They didn’t listen. They pushed harder.

     "DIOPTASE!"

     They were shoved back, suddenly and without warning. They stumbled but remained upright, expression hurt.

     "I'm," She started, her gem glowing. Dioptase's face fell immediately. Emerald took a step forward, the heel of her boot almost shaking the ground as it landed. Or did they imagine that?

     "trying,"

     Her gauntlets, suddenly equipped, were gold and reflective. Dioptase saw their own terrified expression in them, and the damage of the room.

     "to keep,"

     Their back bumped into the broken engine, and they tensed as they heard- _felt_ the pulses of electricity behind them.

     "you,"

     Nowhere left to run.

     "SAFE!"

     Their form was poofed as soon as the door opened.


	2. 1

     The door sticks, screeches, then gives with a whine. _Piece of junk_ , she can't help but think, squeezing in through the gap that she created. The dark inside of the airship is thick and almost unyielding, broken up by the shafts of light coming from the new entrance. This would only make her job harder, but Hollyhock is up to the task. She has to be.

     It's an older ship, that much she can observe. Though her mind is cloudy she can make an educated guess that it was built prior to the Reckoning and perhaps even the Rebellion. Her gem glows; it's a weak light, weakened more by the parts of her uniform covering it. But it will suffice.

     Dust kicks up with every step she takes. _Old, old_. Her lips form a stiff line as she turns to shine the light around. She couldn't see it before, but organics sprawl up and down the walls and grow in patches on the floor. Mushrooms? Maybe some flowers, but whatever they are, they give off a phosphorescent light that gives the ground a whitish kind of highlight. Holly nudges a few with her foot, before continuing on. On her way out she steps on some of the plants, leaving a pale ooze where they burst on the ground.

     The hallways are confusing to navigate, and Holly has navigated many halls in many ships. It crashed, which was obvious from the moment she forced the door open, but seeing the broken walls and debris laying around reaffirms the theory. She wants to stop and admire the old tech, but that isn't the focus of her mission. It really never is. Gems, cracked or shattered or - even more rare - intact, are always the goal. Her Diamond always wished to save gems displaced and broken by the Reckoning. Holly never understood it, but she wasn't created to question orders. So she didn't.

     Nothing eventful happens as she wanders. Empty halls, empty rooms... Windows that line the outer walls were all blown out, probably when it crashed, which allowed trees to creep inside and blot out sunlight. Her partner, if she had tagged along, wouldn't hesitate to make another exit by slicing through the trees. Always so blunt, Zinnia, quick to get through these searches. She hated being paired with the quartz, but since... _Oh?_

     As she turns down a hall, she can see a blue light, fading brighter then darker. _Oh ho ho?_ She feels a tiny smile blossom, and begins to stalk towards it as her own gem darkens. There are many more rooms she passes and with each she spares a quick and disinterested glance, focused on the new light. Finding something on this missions was always so exciting, since the past few thousand years had been sparse. Her Diamond would be pleased, the feeling radiating off of her and spreading  to the entire Court. She moves even faster, excitement welling up in her chest as she turns down into a long corridor. _Here, here._

     The room at the end of the hall has the dim blue. It's door is pried open and she pauses to trace her fingers on the metal - _melted? Why?_ She looks up to peer into the room. An engine bay, most likely, but the damage inside makes it hard to tell. There’s barely any engine to speak of, just a core that must’ve blown itself out when the ship crashed. She creeps inside, sticking close to the walls. She doesn’t realize she’s lost focus, tracing her hand along the walls and feeling the tears in the metal. Her mind can’t stop theorizing, either: had this been a Rebel ship or an Oldhome one? She wasn’t looking close enough for the insignias her Diamond had taught the Court about. Maybe it was stolen? That would explain why it was shot down. Or, more exciting, there could have been an air battle between the two? She beams at the thought. If only she was assigned to learn more about tech, instead of finding gems. _Oh -_

     As she finishes the thought, she panics. Gem, there was a gem here. Glowing. But she hadn’t seen or heard any other gems as she made her way to this room. She squints, allowing her gem to relight and even adjusting her uniform so that there can be a focused beam. As she turns in circles, examining the room, she sees nothing but the damage. It makes her grimace. If there were gems on this ship, most must be shattered. She looks down, and begins to scour the floor. More of those plants grow here, and distastefully, she thinks that’s what could have lured her to the room. She crushes one with her foot, smearing the goo that comes out on the moss that covers the ground. The moss seems to shudder, but before she can observe more there’s a strong glowing blue - or… green? Her head snaps up to watch the ceiling.

     There’s a gem in a bubble, floating above her head. Fully intact. Perhaps shielded from the Reckoning as well? She doesn’t know how to feel, and instead just stares. There’s a lot of feelings rushing through her, and she is certain that at least half of them are not her own. There’s strong fear and confusion, and she isn’t sure if the impulse is her own or not but it’s definitely powerful enough that it makes her reach out to the gem. She stares, bewildered, as something causes her arm to stretch further than normal, before her fingers press into the bubble. It pops.

     She sweats, arm already retreating as she stares. The gem drops, but catches itself as it starts to reform. She’s rarely seen a gem reform and it’s always been in front of the court and it’s never been a gem not already inside of a bubble. It begins to form, starting small before it shudders and stretches, and segments, and then Holly is already running away to fetch some help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tearrful / ask-dioptase on tumblr babey


	3. 2

     Reforming is painful, more painful than they remember.

     Dioptase wants to go back to their default form, but after what happened... They force their limbs to stretch past their programmed limits, a whine in their unformed throat. There's a relief in the pain, however, since they know that they can maintain this shape. Their suspension in the air cuts out after they feel their uniform form, and they drop to the ground with a thud. They grunt, but the ground isn't as hard as they expect it to be.

     "What..." Their voice is rough, cracking slightly. How long had they been poofed? They began to panic. Emerald wouldn't have let them stay in their gem for longer than she had needed to. Right? Right?

     They register footsteps, thundering somewhere outside of the room. What was going on? Their focus pulls back to the ground, staring at the moss that glows very faintly. They look down at their hand squishing the material and grimace in disgust.

     What in the name of the Diamonds is going on? Clumsily, they rise to their knees and inspect the room. This is not normal. At all. Organics are everywhere. They infested the ship, if it could still be considered one after all the damage it went through. Idly, they pick at the moss as they take the room in. There's barely any light, some streaming through breaks in whatever covers the top of the hole in the ceiling.The core was even more deteriorated. There would be no hope of fixing that without calling in help and more supplies.

     They shake their head vehemently. Of all things, why focus on that? They jerk up, stumbling as they stand. _Emerald. Where is she? Where is Heliodor? Blueberry and Orange, and the Nephrite sisters?_ The worry makes them dizzy, and they start stumbling to the door. They have to stop after they reach it, leaning on the ruined metal and shuddering heavily.

     "... and then it just started forming! Right there!"

     "Yes. That is what gems tend to do."

     Two voices cause their head to snap up, squinting hard as they look down the dark corridor. They were not voices Dioptase recognized. These voices were too scratchy, too low. They can't get themself to move, however.

     "Our Diamond will be so pleased, Holly. I am surprised to say I am already pleased."

     "Oh - uh. Really?" Dioptase would roll their eyes if they weren’t frozen in terror. "T-thanks, Zinnia. I - you haven't... I don't think you've ever been so nice!"

     There's a noncommittal grunt, and Dioptase can see lights shine into their hall, before two quartzes appear at the end of it. They tense and stare as the quartzes take a few steps forward and then they're stopping too and just staring.

     One of them shouts, surprised, and Dioptase darts back into the engine bay, hair bristling. _Ohhhh no no no no no._

     "Come back out!" 

     "Was there another exit in that room?" Exit. Exit exit exit. The hole in the ceiling that led to the next floor. They zip to get behind the broken core, looking up to locate it. It wasn’t that difficult, thankfully, since gnarled roots were growing down into the room and had small flowers that basically shouted “this way to safety!” with their sickly glow. In a frenzy they run and jump, clinging onto the dry roots before they begin to climb up. The sudden strain on their form makes them cry out, but they push past the agony in favor of squeezing through larger boughs and into the small vents between the floors. They have to pause to regain their composure.

     “Zinnia, I-” The voices are muffled by plants and metal.

     “I should have known, Holly.” There’s a sneer in her tone. “Working with you always means you lie.”

     “No, I wasn’t-”

     There’s a resounding slap. 

     “Perhaps our Diamond should hear about this.” 

     “I’m not lying, Zinnia!”

     “You can tell that to her. Unless you find that gem, because I will not tolerate being punished for your faults. I’ll finish searching this room. Look elsewhere.”

     There’s a long pause.

     “Yes, Zinnia.”

     Dioptase quickly hauls themself to the next floor.

 

 

* * *

 

 

     The damage is terrible and makes the maintenance part of them flinch while the other parts are bewildered.

     The second floor was home to the piloting room, and Dioptase decides that’s where they need to go. For now, they find themself in a deactivated holding cell, and take a moment to try and reorient themself. Two? Two gems  they didn't recognize were on the ship. Lower levels. Hopefully not on this floor, at least not yet. No sign of any crew. What a mess.

     Thankfully the cell isn’t activated as they step out, viewing the other three in the room. All are empty, save for the plants that infest every crevice they can dig their roots into. Disgusting. The organics on this planet were always a hit or miss with how likeable they could really be. Wait, why were they thinking about that?

     Shaking their head as if to clear the thoughts, they continue on out of the room. This hallway is barely familiar, dimly lit by plants and openings in the ceiling above. Impulsively they want to fix it, but at this point there are no resources and it is beyond repair. It reminds them bitterly of what could be the situation at hand. Stay positive. The corridor is lined with rooms, all of the doors rusted shut. The linear path is relieving, as further down is the cockpit, the doors gnarled and twisted open. That part isn’t as relieving.

     They expect a mess inside and they aren’t surprised by what they see. The captain’s chair is missing, torn from its spot on the floor and presumably hurled into the shattered window in front of them. The consoles are mangled, plants overwhelming the debris and popping out buttons and screens and crawling up the walls. There has to be something here they can look at, right? They feel dread as they start to search the room, raking through the junk. Worst case scenario would be that they would be forced to leap from the window to escape the other gems on board. The end of a large branch poked in through the glass - their getaway route.

     They find a tablet under a seat that was thrown to the side. It’s cracked and dirty and they fear it won’t work. There’s no power, but they fix that by focusing hard on their hand until there’s a current of electricity between their fingers and the tablet. Still got it.

     It powers on with a weak glow, flashing various errors that they are quick to dismiss. Obviously the ship crashed, and obviously the engine had blown out. On the home screen, the date is set… Some time. It’s after the crash, but they aren’t sure by how long. A few weeks? Months, even? They feel a bit of despair at the thought. Swiping through, there’s nothing new on it, save for a drafted message. It was an addition to an automated distress call, so by the looks of it no distress call was sent in the first place since it was manually modified. Why?

     They start to scan through through the message, but there’s noises in the hall outside and they whirl around to face it. Window flashes through their mind, but something makes them freeze in place as they wait. It’s very clear that there are footsteps, and a few moments later a head shyly pokes into view.

     “Hi,” the gem says, quietly and with a bit of a mischievous grin. Dioptase can only stare, trying to figure out if they should bolt or not. Before they can do anything the gem shuffles into the room, peeking around, and seems satisfied.

     “Who are you? How long have you been in that bubble? What happened to the ship? Why…” The gem is quick to question and Dioptase is quick to not be able to register it. She's is creeping closer and barely containing her excitement as she surveys the machines and talks. Dioptase’s head is craned up by the time she is right in front of them.

     “Uh, I, uh,” Dioptase’s voice is strained. They are panicking now, and know that just walking away isn’t an option, especially since the gem’s hand is tightening on their shoulder. They’re also too stunned by her odd appearance - exhausted, with what looks to be organics seemingly pressed into their skin, twisting along their arms and under their odd uniform. There’s a pink insignia on their chest which is a better sign, and they interrupt the questions to point at it.

     “You’re w-w-with Pink Diamond?” The jitter makes them cringe on the inside, but they keep their face hard for the sake of dealing with the gem. Her eyes get wide as if stunned by the question, before wiggling in place and nodding excitedly. “But she-"

     “Is simply wonderful,” she interrupts, before hugging Dioptase and swinging them. Dioptase manages a startled peep, while the gem continued.

     “She came back after the Shattering _and_ the Reckoning. She is simply so wonderful! And you will meet her soon! But I am just so curious about your ship. Were you in it before the Reckoning?” She holds Dioptase close, then, her one eye staring intently and expectantly at them.

     “T… The Reckoning? You mean... “ They’re trying so hard to wrack their mind for the memories. Why had they been shoved into the room with Emerald again? That scene was the only thing they had been able to think of while poofed. It came to them, cloudy. “The Diamond’s light?”

     “Oh, you do call it something different! I think! Yes, that.”

     “... Yes. It - it’s hard to remember. I…”

     The gem laughs, heartily. Dioptase tenses at that, thinking of the other voice that they heard. “Well, you seem mostly undamaged so I’m assuming you’ve been cooped up in that bubble for a long time! I’m Hollyhock Amethyst.”

     “I’m… I’m Dioptase, facet 6N6V, cut 5XR.” They stop their hands from impulsively forming a diamond shape.

     Holly blinks, before they offer a small and confused smile.

     “That’s a mouthful. Can I call you Dioptase?”

     They nod hesitantly.

     “Well! Dioptase, we are going to be BEST friends for a while. I can tell you all about our Unbreaking  and Loving Pink Diamond while we travel to her!”

     “I… What?”

     “Yes! It is my duty as well as Zinnia’s to bring lost gems such as you back to Pink Diamond so she can initiate you back into her court so we can finish colonization of this planet.”

     With a flare of panic, Dioptase jerks out of Holly’s grip, her expression becoming crestfallen.

     “I can’t do that,” they say, but quickly they add, “I have to look for my Emerald and my crew. They’re missing…”

     “Don’t worry about them,” Holly says, softly, wanting to reach out to touch Dioptase to comfort them but pulling back when she sees them flinch. “We can find them after you’ve been given to the court! My Diamond is sure to know your purpose. I’ve never met a Dioptase before!”

     “I can’t! I have to find my Emerald! She’s missing -”

     They’re cut off when the second gem, who they assume is Zinnia, stands in the doorway.

     “Don’t let them get away this time, Holly,” she snaps sternly, glowering down at Dioptase. They stare at her right eye, which squints and sags unnaturally. “Or I will have no choice but to punish you myself then report you to Our Diamond.”

     Holly visibly tightens, as if Zinnia had just yanked on a cord and knotted the material harshly. She turns to look at Dioptase, pouting and sad, before she lifts them. They squeal and flail uselessly.

     “I’m sorry,” she says quietly, and Dioptase isn’t sure if the apology is for them or for Zinnia. Neither says anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta readers? never heard of them

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me at both tearrful.tumblr.com and ask-dioptase.tumblr.com :^)


End file.
